My colleague James Coe has already been over the content of Michelle Donelan’s weekend letter to UKRI in some detail.
What I’ve done here is summarise what legislation says about the way in which a secretary of state is meant to relate to UKRI in terms of issuing guidance and requiring action, with an eye on the content of the missive from DSIT.
Donelan has concerns about the social media activity of two members of the Research England advisory group on equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) – members of which were announced on Thursday. Her concerns about two messages on X (formerly Twitter) are couched in these terms:
- Public bodies, or those representing them, “cannot be seen to take political positions, let alone promote extremist ideologies”
- The “political impartiality” of our scientific funding system is vital
- Individuals “appear to have contravened the Nolan principles of public life”
